The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Follow the Rabbit

EIRLYS’ POV

+25 Points

I stirred, my head thick with fog, as if waking from a nightmare. I tried to move, but a sharp, searing pressure bit into my shoulders.

Then I realized with a jolt that both my hands were tied above my head. My body hung upright, suspended and helpless.

Darkness pressed in on all sides. The air was damp and cold, sinking deep into my bones. Somewhere nearby, water dripped in slow, steady beats. Far off, waves smashed against jagged

rock, each crash a mournful echo.

How… how did I end up here?

The last clear memory I had was me eagerly waiting for Kierygan. He had promised to take me

outside to see the autumn leaves-my first time experiencing fall-and, more than that, just to spend time with him, alone. He had been so busy since our journey to Val’Thirael, I was thrilled to finally have him all to myself.

Slowly, the moments before this flooded back.

Kierygan had taken longer than I expected. At first, thought he’d forgotten. Clutching Nibbles close, I slipped out of my room and wandered the quiet corridors to look for him.

I arrived just outside the meeting chamber; the door was slightly ajar, and faint voices drifted through the cracks.

I was about to turn back, resigning myself to wait longer, when the sudden mention of my name stopped me. Curiosity pried me closer.

I shouldn’t have listened. But Mirael’s sharp voice cut through the silence like a blade. She spoke of my light-how Kierygan never meant to save me, only to kill me. That he spared me only to use me as a weapon. She claimed he changed his mind because I was more useful alive.

I waited, desperate for Kierygan’s denial. But he said nothing.

Her words clawed at my heart. I couldn’t bear it any longer. I couldn’t breathe. I needed air. So I

turned and fled outside, aimless.

Tears blurred my vision as I ran.

I don’t want to believe it’s true, because everything felt so real.

But then, I’m still ignorant in so many ways. Still easily manipulated. Still a mothwit. And they all

knew it.

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Chapter 103. Follow the Rabbit

+25 Points

Suddenly, a voice called out behind me. “My Lady!” Sam’s urgent shout echoed nearby. “You have to turn back. You’re not supposed to be out without His Majesty.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes and realized my feet had carried me into the meadows. Reluctantly,

I turned around. “Let me be,” I whispered. “I just want to be alone.”

I started to turn away again.

“But My Lady…” Sam’s voice faltered.

He was cut off by a sudden commotion. I spun back toward him, and saw two wolves and a vampire closing in, attacking Sam. He fought fiercely, but they outnumbered him.

“Sam!” I cried, rushing forward to help.

But before I could take another step, a sharp sting pierced my neck. The world suddenly tilted,

darkness creeping in.

The last things I saw and heard were Nibbles leaping from my arms-and Sam’s desperate scream

calling my name.

My recollection abruptly ended as I heard the slow creak of rusty metal, followed by the harsh crunch of boots against the cold stone floor. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. I had dreaded the sound of those footsteps for as long as I could remember.

“I’m glad you’re finally awake, girl,” Malric’s menacing voice cut through the darkness. He stepped closer, a cruel whip coiled in his hand. A whip I knew all too well.

He sneered. “Didn’t I tell you I’d get you back?”

I said nothing, swallowing the rising fear.

Without warning, his fist crashed into my stomach. The breath whooshed out of me in a painful

wheeze.

“That’s for burning my arm, you little b*tch,” he spat lifting his sleeve to reveal a scarred burn mark on his right forearm.

Malric’s cruel grin widened, clearly taking pleasure in my pain. He lifted my chin with a single finger, forcing me to meet his cold gaze. “Look how beautiful you’ve become,” he murmured, his touch lingering on my cheek in a way that made my skin crawl.

He traced my lips slowly, his eyes dark with cruel satisfaction. “But you know,” he murmured,”

you’re far more beautiful when you light up.”

Before I could react, the whip cracked through the air and lashed across my back. I screamed-a searing pain unlike anything before, sharper now that my body had flesh, no longer just skin and

bones.

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Chapter 103: Follow the Rabbit

Malric laughed, a harsh, guttural sound. “I’ve missed this,” he whispered.

The whip cracked again and again, each strike punctuated by his cruel taunts.

+25 Points

“Give me your light,” he coaxed, his voice both threatening and seductive. “Give it to me, and this will stop.”

“No!” I snapped, breath trembling. “I will never give you anything.”

Another strike seared my back, hot blood spilling warm down my spine. “So bold now, huh?” he sneered. “Let’s see if this changes your mind.”

His hand clamped onto my knee. A sick, snapping crunch echoed as my bones shattered beneath his grip. Pain exploded through me, a sharp, blinding agony that stole my breath and left me gasping for air.

More lashes followed, each whip cutting deeper, accompanied by fists that landed harder and harder. I prayed-to the stars, to the gods, to anyone listening-to just take me now.

It seemed my plea was answered, for darkness came swiftly to claim me.

KIERYGAN’S POV

Nibbles let out sudden, sharp squeaks, his tiny body jerking in frantic hops before pausing to

glance back at us-urging us onward.

Ashteryn’s patience snapped. “For stars’ sake, what are we waiting for?” he barked. “Follow the

rabbit.”

Nibbles shot forward again, and we followed without hesitation.

Part of me was frustrated. Every instinct screamed to pick up the pace, but Nibbles was the one

leading, and we had no choice but to keep up with his unpredictable path.

Yet beneath my frustration, worry gnawed at me. Nibbles was a creature of comfort-pampered

and spoiled rotten by Eirlys. How far could a soft, coddled little rabbit really lead us?

We ran on, Nibbles zigzagging through the grass in that maddening stop-and-go pace. My

patience was wearing thin-when it hit me. A sudden, fierce jolt through the bond.

Eirlys.

The world seemed to tilt. My knees nearly buckled as the wave of her pain tore through me. I let out a low, guttural growl. “They’re hurting her again, I bit out, the words rough in my throat. “We have to get to her faster.”

Nibbles’ ears twitched at the sound of my voice, as if he understood. And then, to my shock-and

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